Blazing Saddles (R) ** 1/2 Starring Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder Directed by Mel Brooks Year Released: 1974 A Review by Frankie Paiva
What may be funny to one generation may not be funny to the get one. This goes for several old films that had current humor that made fun of politics and events going on at the time. I also imagine that this will happen with several of the comedies that are being released in the 90s. The thing that's really interesting is to see how our country has progressed over the years, how things and attitudes towards people change, and how this is reflected in modern film. This was the feeling that I got while watching Blazing Saddles, a film that, when released 1974 probably didn't open to any protest or controversy, but today would cause great destruction and cause much debate. Black people, the gay community, women, Indians, there aren't very many people that this film misses in offending. With all of the offending material should it still be considered a classic? That's up for you to decide...
Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) is the a wealthy man who wants the area surrounding the town of Rock Ridge. He wants it because new train tracks are being put in that area and he wants to cash in on the benefits of having his own businesses at the train station. His trouble comes in thinking up a way to scare the people living in Rock Ridge out of town. He can't come up with anything good until the governor helps him, and the two come up with a brilliant plan. So he sends a black sheriff named Bart (referred to as nothing but the n-word here) thinking that all of the townspeople will be so horrified that they will move far, far away. He's not accepted very well, but some of the townspeople soon begin to gain his trust. Bart is just too clever to fall for any of the schemes that Hedley uses to try and get the land.
When they receive word that Lamarr is rounding up all of the thieves, cutthroats, and plunderers he can find to form an army and destroy Rock Ridge, they must come up with a plan. All of the members of the army are pretty stupid and they easily escape, but not without a few twists and turns. The ending is so bizarre that you may have to watch it two, even three times to fully grasp what happens in the end.
This film is a fine example of how America has changed its beliefs about people who are different in the past 25 years. It's amazing to think that blacks, women, homosexuals, and Native Americans were poked so hard at, and so brutally abused just 25 years ago. Even my parents (who viewed the film with me) were surprised at some of the things they said and did. On a lighter note, much of the comedy (while very dark, or very offending) is pretty funny. Gene Wilder makes an appearance as The Waco Kid, whose hands are quicker than lightning, and Mel Brooks plays his usual crazy assorted characters. The plot however wears thin near the end, and the madcap ending isn't very satisfying. While some will consider it a classic, I don't think it's anywhere near Brooks' best work. The offending, but funny Blazing Saddles gets ** 1/2 stars.
The Young-Uns: The film contains lots of sexual comments including two women who pretty much give themselves up to any man. The film is filled to the brim with racism, homophobia, and misogyny. Some language and mild violence also occur. Good Age: 13 & Up, but only if they know the way the characters treat each other is not the way to treat someone today.
A Review by Frankie Paiva The 12 Year-Old Movie Reviewer E-Mail me at SwpStke@aol.com Visit my website at: http://www.homestead.com/teenagemoviecritic/mainpage.html
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